THEY say twins share a special bond, but one set of sisters took things a step further when they beat odds of 400,000-1 to give birth on the same day.

Although Heather Richardson and Sarah Fidler both found out that they were pregnant on the same day, they had no idea that their babies would also share birthdays.

Heather gave birth by caesarian section at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle on Thursday, February 13, when 8lb baby Emelie Frances appeared at 1.20am.

Despite having a different due date, sister Sarah's contractions kicked in and she went on to give birth to son Austin Gibbs, 7lb, at 2.55pm at Wansbeck General Hospital in Ashington.

The 35-year-old twins are now both at North Tyneside General Hospital for their post-natal care in next door cubicles.

Sarah, from Linton, near Ashington in Northumberland, said: "I honestly didn't think that I would go into labour at the same time.

"My contractions started at 1.20am, the exact moment Emelie was born by C-section, and I had Austin at 2.55pm that day."

Heather, from West Allotment, North Tyneside, explained that she definitely feels a special bond with her twin.

She said: "We do feel the same pains and if the other one is upset, we can feel it.

"We are really close and have been ever since we were little but I can't believe this.

"The staff at all the hospitals involved said they have never heard anything like it."

We do feel the same pains and if the other one is upset, we can feel it

Heather Richardson

The pair both work at St Thomas More RC Academy at North Shields as science technicians and both studied at Sunderland University.

When a delighted Heather and husband Daniel broke the news that they were expecting a baby to their family, Sarah took a spare test from her twin.

She and husband Sean were astonished to find that, just like her sister, Sarah too was pregnant.

Sean, who works for Nissan at Washington, said: "To me it feels as though we've had twins ourselves.

"Not only have I got a son but I've got a daughter as well."

The sisters' dad John Gibbs, from Pegswood, Morpeth, was also delighted to hear he had become a grandfather twice in one day and that their mum Frances, who died four years ago, will be remembered by both of their middle names.

The twins' husbands are also close, having known each other since their school days at High Farm Middle School in Wallsend.

Sean said: We would really like to thank the NHS staff at all three hospitals for their care. They've been fantastic."

Midwife Annwa Atkinson, said: "This is the first time I've ever known this to happen. It's so rare and to have them both on the ward confused us greatly!"

David Williams from Ladbrokes bookmakers said the case was 'unprecedented' with a 400,000-1 chance of the babies arriving on the same day.